Monthly Archives: May 2010

One of the most irritating things about … fiction is its very fictitious nature. Take the movies I saw today – Hairspray and Becoming Jane. Hairspray so embraces the idea that once your mind is set, once you know what to do, once you want something enough and are willing to take risks, everything works out. Becoming Jane on the other hand talks a little bit about reality – things don’t often turn out the way you want them to, no matter what you do – life happens. In the end, you can make the best of it, and with determination you can manage to not be bitter about the failure of your plans and dreams.

Blah Blah Blah. Point being that even though the films and books, and Shiv Khera and the rest would have us believe that things are in your control, we all know they’re not. Control freaks, megalomaniacs, optimists, workaholics- everyone knows it. Its the dirty little secret that 90’s family sitcoms and Disney Films doesn’t prepare kids for. In the majority of our childhood, current culture – be it songs, tv or movies – prepares us for fighting for our dreams and standing up for beliefs. They don’t at any point, seem to teach more important lessons- of how to deal when things go wrong- when you cant understand your dreams no matter how much you try, when your dreams are beyond your reach no matter how much you try, when standing up instead of Change, brings about a blip in the fabric of existence that does not even amount to the proverbial ripple, which at least has the potential of growth.

We are so untrained to face disappointment – in love, in our careers, in our educations, even in self-awareness. Is it really that much of a surprise that most of us who aspire towards anything, or ever aspired toward anything, have more often than once thought of suicide? It’s hard to remember the importance of “now” and “no” and “yes” and whatever else the self help books are talking about, because we’re never taught that most of the time, it is too hard to concentrate on “now” and so on and so forth.

Becoming Jane is good. Not merely because it has James McAvoy looking too dishy to be true. It’s good because even while it becomes clear that love doesn’t conquer all, it does give us an appreciation for romance and “today” if not “now” (this may be cynic speaking but I think “now” is just pushing it). As Denny Crane once said, “Love, even when it’s fleeting, even when it’s for a day or two… is everything.” It seems to be true.

So maybe its time we started telling children about reality- at least they’ll know what’s coming. Also, while we’re at it, people need to stop baby talking to kids- no wonder they start talking with lisps and weird pronunciations and grammar. I bet a quarter of the reason I hate kids so much is because of all the baby talk that surrounds them.

I would also like to say that my ventriloquist hostel neighbor was definitely on to something when she said that the James’ of the world seem to be obscenely hot or obscenely perfect. James Spader, James McAvoy, Jim from The Office. Most importantly, James Kellern, the hero of the first Mills and Boon I ever read (innocently- I had no idea what an MB back then). He was Irish- maybe that’s why I have a thing for rugged, dark haired, dark skinned, Irish and Scotsmen.